Getting Smaller
by jenrussell131
Summary: He was all alone now. The prison was gone and for all he knew, so was everyone else who had made the place into a home.


White Noise

The occasional flick of a lighter was the only sound to break up the continual chirp of crickets. Once upon a time, people paid money for some white noise machine playing sounds like that and shit to fall asleep. Now it was free and all-encompassing. Instead of the fan Daryl used his whole life to block out drunken ranting and rambling from his dad, he thanked mother nature for his own personal distraction from the groaning walkers.

He was all alone now. The prison was gone and for all he knew, so was everyone else who had made the place into a home. If nothing else, at least he was able to take some comfort in the fact that she wasn't there to witness it fall or the loss of their family members. She had already lost so much.

Flicking the lighter again, he pictured the blonde girl from the other day, screaming at him. Rather than anger, her eyes were full of fear and frustration with the situation. He closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, the first blonde was gone, replaced with a younger one. She was quiet and scared, the rag doll in her hands pressed tightly to her chest blocking the sight of the rainbow he knew was there.

He double checked the harness he had made with the rope was secure before falling asleep up high in the tree. If he was lucky, the assholes underneath him would be gone before he woke up saving him from whatever the outcome of saying he was leaving might be. Hopefully he could shake the thoughts that haunted the darkest corners of his mind, right alongside her face.

Another little girl lost because he wasn't able to protect her.

* * *

Red Sky

Metal pans clanging together startled Daryl awake as the sun was beginning to warm the earth. How this group of idiots was still alive, escaped him. The one that had it out for Daryl, Len, was making a game for himself chucking rocks at the side of the broken down truck one of the other guys had claimed for himself making enough noise to draw the dead out. The men underneath him on the ground packed up their supplies and prepared to move on without bothering to wake him for breakfast, not that he trusted anything they would have cooked anyways. He nibbled on his granola bar before untying himself and swinging down out of the tree to follow behind them.

Soon they were walking the tracks again, still unsure of their destination. Above them the sky was glowing bright crimson, giving the appearance of the sky bleeding. Dale's words playing in his head about a red sky in the morning being a warning for the day cut like a knife. The old man wasn't meant for this world, but was hopefully now at rest with his beloved wife and that damn RV.

They moved along the tracks in relative silence with the exception of Len braying like a jackass at who knows what. He kept his eyes open, looking for any sign of his old family. As they walked, he noticed prints in the dirt that were the same as her soles. He moved swiftly to the front of the group to follow the prints without others walking over them.

That afternoon, he felt the telltale pain in his shoulder warning that bad weather was on the horizon. It had never failed him before, and by how intense the pain was, he knew how severe the weather would be. Somehow he had to convince these men to listen to him.

He looked up to the sky. The crimson faded gradually, as did his visions of her.

* * *

Blackened Heart

Daryl stopped when they came to a fork in the road as everyone else continued to the right. Dropping to his knees, he brushed the leaves and branches out of his way desperate to find where her boot prints picked back up, but finding nothing. His last physical link to her had vanished as quickly as it appeared.

With one last glance over his shoulder, he acknowledged the smoke billowing from the shack. Still just as black as when he set the fire that freed him from his past, but destroyed what was a safe shelter. Since losing her he just hadn't been thinking clearly.

The merry band of thieves, at least that's what he was calling them now, hadn't listened until almost the last minute. It was dumb luck that brought them to the bar in the middle of nowhere. They walked inside just as the heavens above opened up.

He claimed what must have been the owner's office right off the bat and stretched out on the sleeper sofa. There was no point in pulling the bed out without anyone to share it with. He would have given up anything to have that with her at the prison, maybe even his bow.

Her angelic features faded away before his eyes, and in that moment, he felt the last piece of his heart turn black and die.

* * *

Green Grass

He walked at the back of the line once again, but the people were different. Instead of strangers walking ahead of him, it was now Rick, Carl, and Michonne. Daryl had found his family, or at least those that remained. The idiots he walked with just yesterday were gone now, lives ended by his people after attempting unspeakable acts that were what nightmares were made of.

It was pure luck they found the minivan with almost a whole tank of gas. If Merle could see him now, driving this purple monstrosity like a soccer mom as Michonne sat in back providing comfort to the boy. Rick leaned back in the passenger seat, gazing at the scenery they passed silently. He was still struggling to come to terms with what happened with Joe's group, what he had done.

As he drove, Daryl kept his eyes peeled for anything that could be useful. He made mental notes of signs for gas stations and convenience stores, but it was the sign for a campground that caught his attention. He remembered Carol once briefly mentioned spending a long weekend there with Sophia. He decided to drive that way and check it out, but kept his hope that she was there in check. Maybe the grass was greener on the other side of the trees.

* * *

Blue Waters

He only told the others that it made sense to check for supplies and made no mention of her. After Rick's poor judgement, he wasn't ready to trust the other man near her, if she even was there. As soon as he opened the car door, the smell of something cooking hit him. Rick offered to stay with Carl, while Michonne went to check out the campground with Daryl.

As they got closer to a cabin near the water, the smell of smoke became more prevalent. There were clothes hanging to dry on a line and he saw some kind of meat cooking on a spit. Michonne barely pulled one of the sheets aside to get a better look. Her shoulders relaxed instantly when her eyes settled on Tyreese sitting on a picnic table. Carl ran ahead as soon as he saw Judith was sitting on the other man's knee. After a brief reunion, the other man directed Daryl's attention to the water.

Sitting at the end of a dock was Carol. She was kicking her feet in the cool blue water, coffee cup in hand and completely oblivious to his presence. He made his way down to her, finally feeling relief in the confirmation that she was alive.

* * *

_Yellow Sunshine_

He knew without a doubt she felt the gentle vibration as he walked, yet she remained still at the end of the dock. The last yellow rays of sunshine that the day had to offer enhanced every detail of her silhouette from her long, slender neck, each spike of hair.

"I'll be up in a minute, Ty," she said, eyes still focused on the ripples her feet were making in the water.

The sadness in her voice broke his heart. He continued the last few steps and crouched down behind her, feeling the stress fade away as he took in her scent. With that, he felt as though he had found his way home.

"Sorry to disappoint you sweetheart, but I'm not Ty," he said, smiling as the coffee cup slipped from her hands, landing in the water with a splash. She pushed herself up from the dock and threw her arms around his neck. He felt the tears landing on his shoulder as she struggled to speak. "Hey, it's okay," he assured her as he tilted her face up and kissed her forehead.

Daryl pulled back, but kept an arm wrapped around her shoulder as the dock began to vibrate once again. A million words were shared in a moment as their eyes locked. She gave him a small nod, a silent confirmation that they would pick this up later, after everyone had a chance to settle in for the night. If he had waited this long to tell her how he felt, certainly a few more hours wouldn't hurt.


End file.
